Chapter 41
ALICIA
I give up when I realize I've been going over the same line for the past ten minutes. I sigh as I look up from my textbook and flit my eyes across my environment.
Library environment . . . Check
Quiet atmosphere. . . Check
Textbooks & Notes. . . Check
Concentration . . . Uncheck
For the life of me, I can't seem to concentrate on a single word and that's bad for me because, in less than an hour, I've got my first set of tests and school will close thereafter for a short break. It's not like I'm going to fail if I don't read. I go over my notes every day, but I'm a stickler for repetition. I need to know I've got every last detail into my system and not go chewing my pen during the test.
Perhaps the problem is that I haven't heard a word from Ash ever since he traveled and it's toying with my mind. He said it would take only a few days. Three days tops, he had said, but it's been over a week now, and there's still no communication from him. I've sent him several text messages which have gone unread. I even called, but it didn't go through.
And now I can't concentrate.
After his send-off making love at my apartment, I watched as he drove off. That's when I felt it - a weird constricting feeling in my chest. It was tight and uncomfortable. No matter how much I've tried to get rid of it, days after, it stays stuck in my chest like a damn heavy brick.
I've felt this way before.
The period before mother died.
I rub my chest as the feeling intensifies. It's become a dull throbbing ache now. I bring out a pack of Tylenol from my bag and dry swallow two before I put my attention back on my books. A few minutes later, I give up. Nothing is slipping into my brain now, that's for sure.
I begin to pack my books into my bag when my phone vibrates inside my pocket. Excited, I dump my remaining books haphazardly into my bag and rush out of the library. I fish my phone out
from my jean pocket and check it, only to see it's a call from Tanya.
"Hello!" I can't help the flatness coming out.
"Oh, don't get so excited to hear from me." She grumbles good-naturedly.
"I'm sorry, T, it's just. . . I thought it was someone else." I say, trying hard to squelch the disappointing feeling rising in my chest.
"Could that someone be Mr. Ash, perhaps."
I say nothing, choosing to take the silent route. I'm not going to discuss my relationship with Tanya. She obviously won't understand plus it would be awkward, for her to know I'm dating her boss.
"Relax! I know about you two, and . . . I support your relationship."
"How did you-?"
"Doesn't matter, sis, what matters is that you're happy and safe. Are you happy, though?"
Tanya is fiercely protective. Sometimes she acts like she's the older one and not me. I'll never forget her taking my place when Chucho sent his men to come for me. I'll never forget her bravery. Maybe it's time she knows how much I love Ash.
"I love him, T," I say, throwing all caution to the winds. "I really love him."
She's silent for only a heartbeat before she speaks.
"I'm glad and also happy for you two, but what I'm even happier about is that he's taken care of Chucho once and for all."
A strange feeling washes over me. "What do you mean?"
"Didn't you know?" She lets out a sound that's a cross between a sigh and a growl. "That fucker, Chucho, has been sending me text messages telling me to watch out and get ready because he's coming for you. He said you were his target all along and not me."
I let out a sharp gasp as I sway on my feet, lightheadedness making my stomach flop precariously.
"But you don't have to worry, Mr. Ash took care of it. He assured me of it, in fact, so you're safe, and I'm safe as well." She giggles in her usual high-pitched tone.
The feeling in my chest intensifies. Thankfully, she's oblivious to my present distress. "That's great." But it isn't great. Nothing is great, because something bad is going to happen. I can feel it all around me.
I tell her I have a test soon, but not before she informs me she'll be back the following week. This piece of information should bring me joy, but for some reason, it doesn't. Maybe I feel she'll mess the relationship up between Ash and me when she comes, or she'll push me to go out with Leonard once again. I don't know.
What I do know is, I've got tests to write and I don't feel too good. I clutch my chest as I make my way to the class. Once I settle in a chair, it eases up a bit as I take relaxing breaths. Ten minutes later, other students file in and so does the lecturer. He hands out the test scripts which are typed on single sheets of paper. As soon as we're given the go-ahead to start, I zone out every other thing except concentrating on the questions.
Before the set time of one hour, I submitted my question paper and I'm on my way to the next test. I go through the motions for each of the three other tests, zoning out until I'm done. Time wheezes by and evening comes around. At this point, I just want to crawl into bed and forget about the world.
I practically drag myself to the gate to wait for the Uber I just requested for. It doesn't take long. It slides up in front of me and I get in and close my eyes. Once I open them, I see a familiar face peeking at me from the rearview mirror.
"Hello, Alicia!" Caleb's smile is tight. It lacks its usual warmth.
"Hello, Caleb." How's business going? What a coincidence you're picking me up again today. It's been three times already this week." I chuckle weakly.
He mumbles something under his breath and falls silent. It's all good by me, I'm not exactly in a chatty mood myself. I close my eyes and lean my head against the backrest. I jerk awake, realizing I'd drifted off. I look around me, only to find out the sky is darkening and I don't recognize the area I'm in.
"Excuse me, Caleb, but this looks like the wrong route, plus I should have gotten home by now."
He doesn't reply, and neither does he look at me through the mirror. His knuckles are white against the steering as he grips it tightly. A funny feeling blossoms in my chest and I become suddenly scared.
"Caleb, please, answer me. Where are you g-?"
"Shut up, I'm trying to concentrate."
That's when I notice he keeps staring at the side mirror, so I turn around to see a black-tinted jeep behind us. There's something familiar- looking about it, but I can't place where I've seen it before. He turns right and the car behind us turns right as well. For the next few minutes, Caleb tries to shake it, but it sticks close, leading me to the belief that someone is following us.
Suddenly, Tanya's words drift into my mind. That fucker, Chucho, has been sending me text messages telling me to watch out and get ready because he's coming for you.
Fear slices through me, hot and fast, making the ache in my chest constrict even tighter. Fiercer.
What I don't understand, is why Caleb is taking a totally different route from what I'm used to and why I'm not home yet. I watch as his eyes dart wildly from the side mirror to the rearview mirror, and back again. He's hardly looking at the road in front.
If he keeps up with this, we're going to have an accident.
There's a red light up front. Hopefully, I can seize the moment and get away from Caleb and whatever it is that's plaguing him. When we get to the red light, I'm already poised, ready to jump out when he keeps right on driving, speeding past like it's going out of fashion. My heart is thudding so loud, I think he can probably hear it.
I have to get out of this car somehow, even if it means pleading with him. "Caleb, please st-"
"Shut up, bitch!"
His words sting. My vision blurs suddenly, making me blink back tears that are threatening to spill any minute. What did I do to deserve this? What a silly question. What does anyone ever do before bad things happen to them?
From the corner of my eyes, a car comes from Caleb's side, driving at full speed.
It happens in an instant.
The car crashes straight into ours, and I'm thrown forward due to the impact before everything goes dark.
*
"Ma'am!?"
There's a ringing in my ears and a fog surrounding me.
"Ma'am!?"
I blink and try to pry my eyes open but they're so heavy. It feels like sand is trapped inside them.
"Ma'am!?"
Someone seems to be calling my attention, so I try my damndest to open my eyes. Thankfully, after a few trials, I'm able to, but everywhere is dark.
"Ma'am, please wake up!"
That voice again. I try to move my head but pain slices into it, so I stop.
"Don't move, just try to answer me. I need to know you're conscious."
I open my mouth but my tongue feels like it's laced with cotton, still, I croak something out which comes out as a whisper.
"It's fine if you can't speak. Rest now, we'll soon be home. The doctor will be waiting when we get there."
Home?
I hear muted horns and realize I'm inside a car. I struggle to stay awake but I'm lulled into sleep by the movement of the vehicle.